Capitals' Alex Ovechkin recently stated that Matvei Michkov of the Flyers shows off too much, which prompted the young Philadelphia phenom to clap back.
Alex Ovechkin found himself in hot water in February after publicly calling out Matvei Michkov, indicating that he needed to 'show off a little less.' Well, months after that, Michkov fired back.
'Michkov is a great guy; he's doing well,' Ovechkin told RG Media then. 'He played against us recently, so I got to see him. But I wish he would show off a little less. Otherwise, everything is great.'
Speaking to Match TV's Pavel Lysenkov, Matvei Michkov responded to comments following a star rookie season with the Philadelphia Flyers, including four games versus Ovechkin's Capitals.
'To be honest, I haven't seen his quote,' Michkov said, as translated via Google Translate. 'But where is Ovechkin wrong? Yes, no one needs to show off. You need to work. He said the right things.'At the same time, you can't enter the league with the idea that there are stars playing there, and you are a nobody. This will not lead to anything good either. You just need to know your worth, go out on the ice, and do what you can do.'
He recorded five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in them, his second-most versus another team, after Buffalo.
His best night out, however, came in a 4-3 loss prior to the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off pause, when Michkov scored twice and came close to a hat-trick off a fancy Michigan-style lacrosse attempt.
The Capitals tied things moments later, which drew Alex Ovechkin's now-familiar comments. Michkov's showboating did more than bring out Ovechkin's anger.
Former Flyers coach John Tortorella wasn't a fan of Michkov's flair
Former Philadelphia coach John Tortorella publicly disagreed with him and his lacrosse style, but later retracted, saying he stopped trying to prevent the young star from employing it. Tortorella was fired when nine games were left in the season.
In spite of all the turmoil, Michkov excelled, accumulating 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 80 outings, second in NHL rookie scoring, trailing Macklin Celebrini.
Michkov finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting, trailing Celebrini, goalie Dustin Wolf, and winner Lane Hutson (66 points).
Both Russians will be linemates on July 13, when they will wear their respective jerseys and skate together in the NHL vs. KHL's 'Match of the Year' game.
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